Smolder: The Wildwood Series (14 page)

“Why, Lane, you’ve come by two days in a row! How’d I get so lucky?” She aimed the remote at the TV and turned it off, smiling up at him. “Ah, look at you, so handsome in your uniform. So grown up.”

He didn’t feel real grown up. No, he’d been reduced to the frustrated teen who despised his dad. And he hated that. The way all those old emotions and memories came flooding back. “How you feeling today, Mom?”

“Oh, much better. I’m taking it easy and doing a whole lot of nothing. Your dad made sure of that. He’s been so good to me, taking care of me all day long. He came home first thing this morning once he called and found out what happened. He’s been so attentive.”

Lane wanted to say something negative but kept his mouth shut. His dad didn’t do dick for his mother, so why start now? Was he acting nice out of guilt? Most likely. “You went to the lab this morning, right?” Wren had texted him earlier that everything went well, but he wanted to hear what Mom had to say.

“Oh, yes. They took so much of my blood I thought they must’ve been feeding a team of vampires, but the nurse reassured me that it was perfectly normal.” She laughed and waved a hand, making the cat sitting on her lap lift his head and meow in annoyance. “I think it was a fluke thing. I really do feel fine.”

“We just want to make sure, Mom. That’s all,” he said gently, going to her so he could pat her shoulder. She beamed up at him, looking so pleased that he was there it made him uncomfortable and reminded him that he was indeed a rotten son. “I can’t really stick around since I’m on duty. Just wanted to stop by and check in with you.”

“Running as usual,” his father grumbled from where he sat in his recliner. Lane ignored him.

“Thank you, Lane. I do appreciate it.” She caught hold of his hand, not letting him go. “Hey, I was telling Wren this morning how I’d like to have dinner soon and invite you all over. Wouldn’t that be nice? We haven’t had all the kids together since I don’t know when.”

That was because some of them were gone or working. West literally hadn’t come home until a few months ago after being gone for years. Lane took every holiday shift to cover for others so he wouldn’t have to spend Christmas or Thanksgiving with his father.

His mom was a victim in all of this. They all avoided coming to the house because of the old man. And it sucked. It made Lane feel guilty as hell. If he couldn’t be there for his own damn mother, how could he expect to be there for a woman in a relationship? He’d probably shit all over Delilah just like his dad did to his mom.

But he’d do it for his mom. He would. They all needed to be there. As long as they had each other’s backs, they could get through this.

“I’ll have West bring that sweet Harper Hill, and I want you to bring Delilah too,” his mom continued. “I have a feeling both of those girls will become a part of our family someday, so it’s only right they come to dinner. I want to spend time with these girls my boys have chosen.”

His stomach churned. He didn’t want to bring Delilah around and pretend that they were something more than whatever it was they were doing. He’d never told his mom that he and Delilah were really a thing, so she was just jumping to conclusions anyway.

“I can check with Delilah, but we’re really just friends, Mom.” He saw the disappointment cloud her eyes. “But that sounds like a good idea. Pick a date and let us know. We can all work out our schedules as best we can.” He smiled at her, thankful when she smiled back.

“Oh, that sounds so nice. Okay, I’ll call you, I promise—and I’ll call West and Holden and Wren too. This is going to be wonderful.” She made to stand up, her hands on the armrest of her chair, the cat jumping off her lap, but Lane rested his hand on her arm, keeping her in place. She settled back into her chair.

“Don’t get up on my account, Mom.” He bent down and hugged her, kissing her cheek. “Call me and keep me posted.”

“I will, son. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Lane walked out of the house, not bothering to say anything to his father, but he followed after him, all the way to his car.

“You think this makes things all better, just because you come by two days in a row and get your mama’s hopes up? I’m still upset with you, Lane. And so is your mother.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw, and Lane took a deep breath before he turned to face his father. “I really don’t care what you think or if you’re upset with me. I’m doing this for Mom.”

“Why’s that? Got a good case of the guilts because you’re such a shitty son?” His dad sneered.

Lane had no idea why his father said such things, why he loved to provoke him. Hell, he loved to provoke all of them with the exception of Holden. And that was only because their mother protected her baby boy so ferociously that she wouldn’t allow it. He pretty much left Wren alone too, since she was “only a girl.” Direct quote.

His father wasn’t the finest human being on earth. He wasn’t a horrible monster either, but the man had no respect for anyone or anything.

It was best he ignore his father’s rude remarks and move on with his day. Focus on the positive.

Though that was proving to be harder and harder.

Chapter Fourteen

L
ANE WAS SITTING
at his desk, pecking at the keyboard as he wrote up a report. He contemplated texting Delilah to see if she wanted to get together when his brother strode into his office, plopping down in the chair opposite his desk.

“What brings you around?” Lane asked, leaning back in his chair. West was in uniform so he was still on duty and he looked frustrated as hell. “Looks like you got steam coming out of your ears.”

“I hate that Josh prick,” West muttered, leaning back in his chair as well with his arms behind his head, hands linked at the back of his neck.

Lane could get on the Josh-hate train. That dude gave off a bad vibe. He wasn’t friendly and acted like he knew everything. “Why do you say that?” he asked, keeping his tone and expression neutral.

“He wants zero input from any of us. Remember what a dick he was to you? Well, think that but amplified by about a million.” West dropped his arms, slapping the top of his thighs with his hands. “He sucks. Thinks he can take care of our little arsonist all on his own.”

“What’s the scoop with that anyway?”

“Our little fire starter has been quiet. No more fires since the one you were out on last. But that was only a few days ago. He tends to strike about once a week. And they’re always small fires, with the exception of the restaurant. I wonder if he got in over his head with that one,” West said thoughtfully.

“Who knows?” Lane shook his head. “What’s scary is he could start lighting more fires closer together. Higher frequency is when it gets dangerous.” They’d dealt with their fair share of arsonists around Wildwood in the past. Some were caught quickly. A few years ago Lane had caught one red-handed and he’d been proclaimed the town hero during that summer.

Not that Josh or anyone else in prevention gave a shit. They considered everyone in Wildwood a bunch of hicks. Well, the ones he’d met at least, and that included the new guy on the scene.

“I gave him your list of possible suspects, but I have no idea if he’s questioned any of them,” West said.

“Thanks for that. At least I did my part.” Lane reached over and saved his report on the computer before he shut off the screen and turned to face his brother. “Stopped by to see Mom earlier.”

“How’s she doing? Harper and I are stopping by to pick her up in the morning and take her to breakfast.”

“Dad will probably be there.”

West made a face. “He’s not invited. I already warned Mom that I won’t even come inside the house. She’ll need to meet us outside.”

“I talked to him. Well, more like he talked at me.” Not that he wanted to rehash the encounter, but he had no one else to discuss this with. Only West.

“Oh yeah? Did he make you feel guilty and call you a shitty son?”

“Nailed it.”

“He’s a jerk. He throws out those insults so easily because he’s the one who’s shitty,” West pointed out. “Easier to be mean to your own children than look at yourself and all the crappy things you did when they were younger.”

“He still does those crappy things. Don’t forget that.” Lane rubbed a hand along his jaw. He’d forgotten to shave this morning and he had some decent stubble growing. “Mom wants everyone to get together for dinner soon.”

“That sounds like torture.”

“We should probably do it. It’s been a long time since we’ve all been together in one room. It would make her really happy.” He blew out a heavy breath. “I’m worried about her. She looked good today, but when she fainted on us, I’m telling you, West, she looked freaking gray and she wasn’t making much sense.”

West’s expression was troubled. “What do you think is wrong with her?”

“I don’t know. Wren took her in this morning to have a bunch of tests done but we won’t know the results for a few days. Maybe even a week.”

“We’ll take care of her. No matter what happens, we’ve got this.”

Lane met his brother’s gaze, saw the sincerity there, and relief trickled in, small but steady. He was dealing with his own guilt but he knew West suffered too. Probably even more so since he’d picked up and left Wildwood for years. When he came back, he hadn’t made much of an effort to see their parents. “I’m glad you’re back.”

West grinned. “Seriously? You seemed pretty pissed at me when I first showed up.”

“Yeah, well, I like being pissed at you. Gives me purpose.” Lane smiled back.

“I hear you have a new purpose lately.” When Lane tilted his head to the side, West continued. “Something’s up between you and Delilah. Like, for real this time.”

Lane’s smile deflated. He didn’t want to talk about this with West. It made him uncomfortable. West and Delilah had been a couple once upon a time and for all he knew, they might’ve had sex.

Fuck, he didn’t even want to think about that.

“For the record, I can read your mind and no, I never had sex with Delilah. We only kissed. I was too scared.”

Lane’s jaw about hit his desk. “Too scared?”

West started to laugh. “You should see the look on your face. Yeah, bro. I was what, sixteen? I didn’t want to get a girl pregnant. I was willing to feel her up any which way I could and if she wanted to feel me up, she could have a go, I wasn’t going to stop her. But having actual sex with her? Dee and I didn’t go out long enough to make it to that point in our relationship.”

He hated hearing these details. Didn’t want to think about his brother and Delilah feeling each other up. It freaked him out. Worse, it made him feel guilty for being with Delilah, which was fucking ridiculous but there ya go. He couldn’t fight his feelings. They were what they were.

“It doesn’t bother you that you two used to be a thing and now I’m . . . ” What? Having sex with her? Messing around with her? He’d told himself to keep it casual, and that was great and all, but he needed to cut this off. Nip it in the bud before emotions got tangled up and he ended up hurting her.

And hurting himself.

“It doesn’t bother me. Delilah is a great girl. She deserves happiness.” West paused, his gaze direct. “And so do you. If you like her, Lane, you should make a go of it. She’d be good for you.”

Lane remained quiet for a moment, rolling his pen back and forth across his desk. “Mom wants to invite Harper and Dee to this family dinner.”

“That’s great. I know Harper would love to come. Hell, I
want
her to come. She’ll be my backup and calm my ass down in case I want to do something crazy like sock Dad in the mouth,” West said jokingly. Sort of.

Lane figured he was really serious. He understood the feeling.

“Yeah, that’s great,” Lane said. “But I don’t know if I want Delilah to come with me. Bringing her implies something that might not be true. You know what I mean? I don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up.” Including his own.

Shaking his head, West stood. “Suit yourself, bro. Bring her or don’t bring her, but make up your mind. She’s still a good friend of mine, and she’s one of Harper’s best friends. I don’t want you jerking her around.”

Anger suffused him, but he told himself to get over it. It was a waste of time, getting mad at his brother. “I’m not jerking her around. She’s a big girl. She knows where I stand.”

“Huh. Better go back over your stance with her, just in case. I gotta go. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how breakfast went, okay?”

“See ya,” Lane said distractedly. He turned back to his computer and resumed working on the report, concentrating on getting it just right and not thinking about Delilah.

He didn’t text her either. Or call her. Probably best to forget about her since eventually, he needed to end this. Stringing her along wasn’t cool. He was too busy. Too fucked up. Delilah was like this bright light that needed to shine, and he was the brooding asshole who wanted to spend the rest of his life alone.

He didn’t want to be the one to douse her flame.

D
ELILAH HAD PRETTY
much broken into Lane’s house again. What the hell was wrong with her? He was a deputy sheriff. He carried a gun for a living. He’d already pulled that gun on her once. Did she really want to risk it again?

Delilah sat on the edge of his bed, nibbling on her fingernail. She’d missed him all day and even came up with a sexy little plan to surprise him. But maybe he wasn’t the best person to surprise. He still wasn’t home, and he should’ve gotten off his shift hours ago. So where was he? Still working? Or out with someone else?

She frowned and dropped her hand to her lap, glancing around his bedroom. The room was shrouded in darkness, the sun having fallen behind the mountains that surrounded Wildwood a while ago. And he still wasn’t home.

It was probably best if she left.

But she’d worn the best outfit ever and she didn’t want it to go to waste. She couldn’t even say what had compelled her to buy it. The usual onslaught of catalogs had hit her mailbox around October and November, trying their best to entice her to buy everything for Christmas. She’d almost tossed out the usually depressing lingerie catalog. She loved looking at all that pretty stuff but she didn’t end up buying anything. She didn’t have anyone to wear sexy, matching panty and bra sets for.

But when she’d seen the cute little lingerie set that cost a whoppin’ sixty bucks, she’d told herself she wasn’t allowed to buy it. No way, no how. Sixty dollars was too much to pay for something so frivolous that would most likely end up stuffed in the back of her dresser drawer, long forgotten.

But she couldn’t forget about it. She’d held off for one day. Then two. Three. Until the fourth day when she’d gone on the store’s website, found the outfit, added a sports bra and a cute sweatshirt to her shopping cart, and bought it all. Merry Christmas to her.

Seven months later, she still hadn’t worn the cute little bunny lingerie set. Until now. She was wearing it for Lane, and she had to admit, she was pretty damn adorable.

Deciding to hell with it, she grabbed her phone and sent him a quick text of warning, wanting him to know she was at his place.

I’m waiting for you in your bedroom. Hope you don’t mind.

She stood and went to the mirror that sat over his dresser and studied her reflection, making a little face. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks pink, and her boobs looked good in a soft gray camisole. The material was almost like a sweater, soft and thin. The top was cropped, showing off most of her stomach. The panties gave good coverage. They weren’t crotchless or anything, and she wondered if Lane was into that sort of thing.

God, she really hoped he wasn’t. She’d always thought crotchless panties were sort of . . . weird? Tacky? Ugly? Why bother wearing them? Wasn’t mystery part of the fun?

Her phone buzzed.

You’re at my house? Really?

Biting her lip, she replied.

I am. I have a surprise for you. Unless you’re too tired for surprises.

If he said he was too tired and wanted her gone, she’d be crushed. Her bunny panties were adorable. She knew Lane would love them if he just gave them a chance.

Seriously, she sounded delusional even to herself. Maybe she was the one who was too tired for surprises.

What sort of surprise are you talking about?

Smiling, she shook her head and typed.

If I tell you, then it’s not a surprise.

I’m pretty worn out.

Her smile faded. If this was his way of getting her out of here . . .

I might not be too much fun.

Now she just flat out laughed. When was he ever really any fun?
Fun
was not a word she’d use to describe Lane.
Sexy
,
sweet
,
fierce
,
possessive
,
protective
, and
a little rigid
—yes, those words fit him. But fun?

Nah. And she was okay with that. She was the fun one.

You won’t have to do a thing, I promise. I’ll do all the work, you can just relax and kick back.

There’s work involved?

Only on my part.

As in she was going to work him over and rock his damn world.

I’m on my way home now.

Smiling, she set her phone on the bedside table, then turned on the lamp, casting the room in pale golden light. She wanted him to see every single thing she planned on doing to him tonight. And she never wanted him to forget it either.